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Trying to help daughter with new aquarium and dying fish

1

Hello to all,
I am new to this site and forum, so please forgive any lack of knowlege about the forums...My daughter saved her money and bought a new 10 gallon aquarium from Petco...I must admit, I did not help with the set-up...she was so excited to get it ready for fish, she set it up herself from the directions given....it uses a Whisper power filter and recently we added an aerator (not sure what kind)...

She bought some mollies and tetras, a sucker fish and some snails, and 2 plants....and all was fine for a week or two...then the water started to cloud, and her mother changed out the filter cartridge a time or two to help clear the water...now I'm reading on the site about "cycling" the water, and I believe we are doing this wrong or not at all, as the fish are dying off quickly...

I guess what I'm asking is maybe one of the members here can point me in the right direction, via links within or without this forum, to very basic information for beginners on setting up and maintaining a 10 gallon tank....

Cycling involves growing bacteria in the filter to help break down fish ammonia (from their waste) - the last thing you want to do while cycling is get rid of the filter cartridge because that's where the bacteria grows.

Until that bacteria grows, ammonia will build up in the water until you take it out (and dilute it) with water changes.

In order to cycle you need to get a test kit (unless you have one - a liquid one, not test strips) and a water siphon to remove water from the tank. The "sticky" I provided will tell you what to do!

Few tips:
-Even if the filter instructions say to change out the filter, never do that. Bacteria that if for the cycle grows there, and by changing the filter you throw out the bacteria. If it gets clogged, rinse it in used tank water in a bucket (never tap water), if it starts to fall apart, put as much of it as you can into a new filter, and leave it for a bit.
-Go buy a API Freshwater Master test kit ($25), this is a must for starting a new tank
-You most likely have a pleco as a "suckerfish" these get huge and outgrow most tanks quickly, return it or give it away. Tank that size a few otos or snails will clean up some algae (don't bring these guys in for awhile)
-That brings me to my next point, no matter what the store says, fish aren't meant as "cleanup crews", some fish will eat leftover food, but none will eat other fish poop. It is the humans responsibility to clean the tank (gravel and walls), also, if you have algae, try to determine the cause before just buying an algae eater type of fish

It is great that your daughter wants to get into the hobby, with a little bit of quick research you can step in and save the day. It will take a little bit of time and money, but once you learn the ropes it will be fine

Cycling involves growing bacteria in the filter to help break down fish ammonia (from their waste) - the last thing you want to do while cycling is get rid of the filter cartridge because that's where the bacteria grows.

Until that bacteria grows, ammonia will build up in the water until you take it out (and dilute it) with water changes.

In order to cycle you need to get a test kit (unless you have one - a liquid one, not test strips) and a water siphon to remove water from the tank. The "sticky" I provided will tell you what to do!

Thank you so much for the quick reply...all we have to test are those strips, will buy the liquid one soon....I will study the info in the sticky you provided, and hopefully get things back on track...we really do enjoy the aquarium and would like to maintain it properly...thanks again!

Thanks so much for your quick reply...I will study the info in the links you provided....first off, we need to get that test kit you mention....so far, we have no evidence of algae, just cloudy water....thanks for the info about the "suckerfish" ...we really enjoy the fish and want to maintain the aquarium correctly....

Now, I have some reading to do...will keep you and andreahp updated on our progress...thanks again!

I see several things wrong. First, the tank was not cycled, as others here remarked on.

Also, no bottom feeders should go in a tank not yet cycled. If this is a sucker fish, it probably is a pleco that grow to one foot and they will starve to death in a new tank.

And third is the purchase of plants. They are great in a fish tank but also require proper lights from growing. It is good to do some reading before jumping into this hobby but this is often what happens. There is a bit more to keeping fish than tossing them in water. LOL We all learn this the hard way.

Thanks, I will check...just ordered the test kit from Amazon, will be here in a few days...will post when I first test....so in the meantime, should I do anything to the tank, or leave it be for now?...the water is cloudy, but the remaining mollies seem to be doing ok